On the aerodynamics of variable-geometry oval-trajectory Darrieus wind turbines

A new computational model for the aerodynamics of vertical-axis wind turbines is introduced. It is based on the double-multiple streamtube concept and it incorporates the capacity of dealing with rotors whose blades follow oval-trajectories at variable setting-angles. We applied this model to the study of the aerodynamics of an innovative concept in extra-large wind-power plants: the VGOT (variable-geometry oval-trajectory) Darrieus wind turbine. Due to the especial geometric characteristics of the VGOT Darrieus, it was necessary to propose three new non-dimensional parameters to quantify its performance under different wind-conditions: the equivalent power coefficient, the equivalent solidity coefficient and the trajectory efficiency. We show some numerical results testing several rotor configurations working under different wind scenarios.